GCSE History | Crime and Punishment in Early Modern Era Britain

History Quiz - Crime And Punishment: Early Modern Britain (Questions)

How did Tudor and Stuart governments deal with crime? Explore changing laws, new courts, and punishments in early modern Britain with this GCSE History quiz.

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Fascinating Fact:

New laws targeted “rogues and vagabonds”. Punishments included whipping, branding, and being sent back to a home parish.

In GCSE History, the early modern crime and punishment topic focuses on c.1500 to c.1700. You study how population growth, poverty, religion, and government power shaped ideas about crime, law enforcement, and suitable punishments.

Key Terms

Vagrancy: Living without regular work or a fixed home, often travelling in search of food, shelter, or casual employment.
House of Correction: A local institution where offenders and the poor were sent to work and be disciplined, often used to control vagrants.
Witchcraft: A crime in early modern law, where people were accused of using magic to harm others or to make secret pacts with evil spirits.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is early modern crime and punishment in GCSE History?

Early modern crime and punishment in GCSE History covers how offences, courts, and penalties changed between about 1500 and 1700, especially under Tudor and Stuart rulers in England.

How were vagrants treated in early modern England?

Vagrants, sometimes called sturdy beggars, were seen as a threat to order. They could face whipping in public, short periods in a house of correction, or being forced to return to their parish.

Why were punishments so harsh in early modern Britain?

Punishments were harsh because authorities wanted to frighten people away from crime. There was no professional police force, and many people believed strong physical penalties were needed to keep society under control.

Try These Related Quizzes

In Mary Tudor's reign heretics (i.e. those who followed the Protestant faith) could suffer the death penalty, and 300 were killed during her reign (1553-1558). What form of execution did they suffer?

[ ]	Hanging
[ ]	Burning at the stake
[ ]	Drowning
[ ]	Beheading

As there was no police force, many victims of crime hired someone to find the culprit - for a fee. What name was given to these bounty hunters?

[ ]	Private detectives
[ ]	Thief-takers
[ ]	Special constables
[ ]	Crime wardens

In 1688 the death penalty could be imposed for no less than 50 different crimes. Why did courts in fact impose so few death sentences?

[ ]	A shortage of executioners
[ ]	Fear of public unrest over frequent executions
[ ]	A reluctance on the part of juries to convict if they thought that death might ensue
[ ]	The compassionate nature of most judges at the time

Witchcraft was taken seriously as an offence in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. What did the witch-finders look for on an alleged witch's body to prove guilt?

[ ]	The taint of the Devil
[ ]	The Devil's mark
[ ]	The Devil's finger
[ ]	The Devil's nose

Transportation overseas was an available punishment. To where were convicts transported until the late 1700s?

[ ]	Australia
[ ]	The North American colonies
[ ]	South Africa
[ ]	New Zealand

What term was used to describe a robber on foot encountered on the highway?

[ ]	A highwayman
[ ]	A footpad
[ ]	A vagabond
[ ]	A vagrant

What was meant by a "bridewell" during this period?

[ ]	A courtroom
[ ]	A prison
[ ]	A work house for the poor
[ ]	The mayor's office

Women accused of witchcraft often had to undertake a "swimming test". How did this establish guilt or innocence?

[ ]	A woman who floated was deemed to be a witch
[ ]	A woman who sank was deemed to be a witch
[ ]	A woman who drowned was considered guilty, but forgiven
[ ]	A woman who swam was considered to be especially guilty

Which crime was regulated as a capital offence under the 1723 Black Act (amongst others)?

[ ]	Vagrancy
[ ]	Poaching
[ ]	Nagging
[ ]	Blasphemy

10.

Some towns and villages did employ constables, but they suffered from a crucial weakness. What was it?

[ ]	They worked only part-time
[ ]	They were unpaid
[ ]	They had no powers of arrest
[ ]	They could not pursue suspects beyond the boundaries of the village or town

History Quiz - Crime And Punishment: Early Modern Britain (Answers)

In Mary Tudor's reign heretics (i.e. those who followed the Protestant faith) could suffer the death penalty, and 300 were killed during her reign (1553-1558). What form of execution did they suffer?

[ ]	Hanging
[x]	Burning at the stake
[ ]	Drowning
[ ]	Beheading

Mary and her advisors regarded the death sentence as an effective deterrent. Capital punishment was - in any event - a frequent occurrence in this period

As there was no police force, many victims of crime hired someone to find the culprit - for a fee. What name was given to these bounty hunters?

[ ]	Private detectives
[x]	Thief-takers
[ ]	Special constables
[ ]	Crime wardens

Poorer victims of crime could be precluded by poverty from seeking redress in this way

In 1688 the death penalty could be imposed for no less than 50 different crimes. Why did courts in fact impose so few death sentences?

[ ]	A shortage of executioners
[ ]	Fear of public unrest over frequent executions
[x]	A reluctance on the part of juries to convict if they thought that death might ensue
[ ]	The compassionate nature of most judges at the time

In fact the number of capital offences actually increased during the following century

Witchcraft was taken seriously as an offence in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. What did the witch-finders look for on an alleged witch's body to prove guilt?

[ ]	The taint of the Devil
[x]	The Devil's mark
[ ]	The Devil's finger
[ ]	The Devil's nose

They were looking for any kind of unusual spot on the skin of the accused

Transportation overseas was an available punishment. To where were convicts transported until the late 1700s?

[ ]	Australia
[x]	The North American colonies
[ ]	South Africa
[ ]	New Zealand

Transportation was not abolished as a punishment at this point: the prisoners were now re-directed to a new destination

What term was used to describe a robber on foot encountered on the highway?

[ ]	A highwayman
[x]	A footpad
[ ]	A vagabond
[ ]	A vagrant

Such robbers were much feared, and they could usually run fast

What was meant by a "bridewell" during this period?

[ ]	A courtroom
[x]	A prison
[ ]	A work house for the poor
[ ]	The mayor's office

Most towns had one of these at this time

Women accused of witchcraft often had to undertake a "swimming test". How did this establish guilt or innocence?

[x]	A woman who floated was deemed to be a witch
[ ]	A woman who sank was deemed to be a witch
[ ]	A woman who drowned was considered guilty, but forgiven
[ ]	A woman who swam was considered to be especially guilty

This procedure was a reminder of medieval and Anglo-Saxon practices